Various play centers are known. Typically, components of the play center are manufactured in a factory and then shipped, with instructions, for assembly by the consumer. In general, the components needed for a particular play center are included in a package.
Designers of play centers are required to address a number of conflicting priorities. For example, although consumers generally want a number of features (e.g., swings) that will be of interest to children, not all consumers are willing to pay for numerous features, i.e., some consumers prefer a basic play center, with limited features. On the other hand, however, consumers typically prefer to have an individually-tailored play center.
However, in addition to the demand for more features and greater scope for individuality of design, there is also a demand for competitive pricing. The limits on pricing tend to limit the number of elements sold, and also has other impacts. For example, shipping costs tend to be significant, so designers typically attempt to find a balance between the need to limit shipping costs and the competing demands for more features. Safety issues also need to be taken into account.
The known play centers have various disadvantages, for example, a consumer usually has only a limited selection of designs from which to choose. Typically, one package of components will provide only one play center having a particular design. In general, individually tailoring a particular design based on the components supplied in a standard package is not possible.